I Will Always Be Your Shadow
by MaximumSenpai
Summary: A silent love. A soundless desire. A hidden feeling. A secret dream. A shattered hope. "A shadow can only watch. I will always be your shadow. Forever."
1. I Will Always Be Your Shadow

"Ahem."

"Good day, my name is Kuroko Tetsuya, and I feel proud to announce myself as the best man of this wedding, although I told Aomine-kun that at first, I refused to give my speech for the best day of his life, but then again, I'm afraid Kise-kun or Kagami-kun would ruin his best day if they were to give the speech, so I agreed."

 _I don't have any choice..._

"Kise-kun, please don't cry, I barely started my speech."

"Aomine Daiki. I first met him during the first year in Teiko middle school, a very beautiful school and academically challenging if I must say. One single look, and we can all know that he's a complete airhead when it comes to academy."

 _You're one big idiot, you know that?_

"Oh, congratulations for graduating from middle school and highschool, Aomine-kun. You truly are a miracle."

"Kise-kun, Kagami-kun, you guys too."

"Not only that, he surely is a total sloth. He would sleep on the rooftop and skip practices. He would really catch a cold if he slept there, but here's where his idiocy finally became useful. As they said, stupid people can't catch a cold."

 _A very big idiot.._

"After spending some more time with him, I learned that Aomine-kun is one of those person who would die if left alone. Momoi-san and I really had to slap him back to his senses and sometimes it was literally. But then, we noticed that slowly, Aomine-kun was getting to be self-conscious about this one characteristic. All because of the wonderful bride's hard work. Thank you, Miss."

 _I couldn't do it..._

"To be honest, sometimes we wonder why someone would like Aomine Daik with his childish acts, overly high self esteem, a total idiot, a lazy individual. Good thing Kami-sama is still kind enough to give him talent in basketball and a.. rather handsome and manly feature."

 _You really look handsome in that suit..._

"Aomine-kun is really. Really. Really. _Really_ fortunate to have her as his bride. He has so little but this beautiful woman has a lot of things. She's a beautiful, elegant, smart, talented hardworker."

"Even I would fall for her if I haven't fallen for someone."

"Not only that, she has a lot of fans and admirers, yet she said yes when he asked her out. We're so confused that sometimes, Kagami-kun, Kise-kun, and even Midorima-kun stalked on their dates."

 _But not with me..._

"Surprised? I was, too."

"But talents and appearance aside, the groom does have his pluses. I recall out first true meeting..."

 _Standing next to you..._

"He was dead scared of me."

 _I am really dying right now..._

"I was merely a weak player. Not even worth to stand on the court at all. I practiced until late at night. It felt great to play on the court. Although... I did it alone.. No points, no audiences, no teammates..."

" _Truly alone_..."

"One day, he found me practicing alone and although I was nothing but an unsuccesful third-string, he would help with my practice..."

 _I fell for you immediately that time..._

"Even when I decided to give up and quit, he was there to stop me. He said something to me and I could still remember what he said."

" _There is no player who is not needed_."

"Those words kept me going, along with the help of some people."

 _Although in the end... what I have hoped for never really come true..._

"Despite his foolish, lazy, perverted self, he really does, have a heart of gold. A person who will not let one of his comrades feel sad, alone, unwanted. He would reach his hand to help his friend get out of the abyss of despair. He would protect the people he cared for from harm. And that's probably what made us all treasure Aomine Daiki, and what made the bride fall for him.."

 _...I love him..._

"Being with him, I'm sure you will have a lot of warm sunny days and ocassional devastating storms now and then, but I am sure that it is nothing the lovely couple can't overcome. You two really are, a perfect match for each other..."

 _...But I don't want to ruin his happiness with her..._

"But I really hope that even with having a wife next to you and possibily a child in your arms and one more on your back, you will not forget the friends you have made and the precious bonds that we have created..."

"...together..."

 _Don't forget me..._

"Aomine-kun..."

 _Please take care of her..._

"All I can say now is I will support both of you..."

 _Please be happy with her..._

"You two really are like a brilliant light..."

 _You're my only light..._

"So please... Let me act as a shadow to you..."

 _I will always be your shadow..._

"...This time for both you and your wife..."

 _I will always love you..._

"... _Forever_..."

"Now, a toast, for Aomine Daiki and his wife..."

 _I can't stand in front of here much longer..._

 _Ah... they kissed..._

 _He looks so happy..._

"No, Akashi-kun, I am not crying..."

 _Ah... my tears won't stop coming..._

"Yes.. I am truly happy for them..."

 _Please be happy.._

 _Even without me being there with you..._

 _I want you to smile like that..._

 _Forever..._

 _Ah.. He smiled at me.._

 _Now I can't say goodbye to my first and only love of my life..._

 _Haha... You really are an idiot..._


	2. Red Carnation and Winner Stick in A Cup

I've been waiting for this day..

Aomine-kun will come and visit me today.

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It's my birthday today. Yes. The 31st of January. It's still in the morning, just before 10 am. My friends have given me some presents, although what they gave were not much. Kagami-kun came first thing in the morning and treated me a cheeseburger and a cup of vanilla milkshake from Maji Burger. He also passed the message my old teammates from Seirin left, which was pretty much the same with what Kagami-kun said. He then chatted with me for a while until he had to leave for his work in the fire station. Momoi-san came with Kise-kun not long afterward. They gave me a bouquet of flower plus a new release of Zunon Boy where Kise-kun (still) became the model of the cover page despite his age which is nearing to 30. We also had a small chat and Momoi-san's eyes were glistening a lot. Kise-kun told me that Murasakibara-kun had just opened a franchise of his famous pastry shop in Tokyo, so Kise-kun brought me Murasakibara-kun's bestselling cake since precisely a year ago, Vanilla Blue Velvet. The man himself was unable to come, so a free cake from his pastry shop became his substitute. Momoi's shift as the head nurse would start soon and Kise-kun's TV show would air in an hour and a half, so they left not long after. Midorima-kun couldn't come, so Takao-kun came in his stead. Takao-kun said that Midorima-kun couldn't bring himself to come. He gave me his old basketball and Midorima-kun asked him to give me the lucky item of the day for Aquarius, which happened to be incense. I still find this behavior as odd, but either way, I felt very grateful. I still do. I have such great friends.

But the day won't be complete,

until he comes.

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I'm waiting for Aomine-kun outside right now. It's safe to say that it has always been our meeting spot every single of my birthday after his marriage 4 years ago. I can still remember his happy smile on the happiest day of his life. And his family has grown in number with one child. A boy. He has a happy family and a happy life.

Without me being near him.

All I can do is smile and say 'That's wonderful, Aomine-kun. I'm grateful for you' and he will always grin without really understanding my feeling.

And I'm fine with that.

I say it to myself every time.

Because I can't have him.

No matter how much the effort, a shadow can only watch.

And I'm fine with that.

As long as he is happy.

"Yo, Tetsu."

There's only one person who would call me that.

The man I love is now standing in front of me with a boy in his arm.

"It's nice to see you again, Aomine-kun."

"Happy birthday." 

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"I bring you something.." Aomine-kun says as he put his child down. One of his hands is holding something which seems to be a birthday gift for me.

"Thank you, Aomine-kun. Just put it with the rest." I say as I point at somewhere behind me.

He walks past me and I crouch down to greet the little boy in front of me. He has the hair and eyes of Aomine-kun while he has his mother's skin. He is such a cute child..

"Hello." I smile to him. "My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. I am your father's friend. What's your name?"

Aomine-kun sadly has never told his name but he promised me that he would bring his child with him. And here he is now, standing right in front of me.

The boy immediately smiled and said his name to me.

I am surprised by his name.

But I smile from the deepest of my heart.

"It's a cool name.."

The little Aomine flashes his grin, proud of his name.

"He's a lot like you, Aomine-kun.."

Aomine turns around and glances at his child, smiling, before walking to him and hands the little boy a car key and an android phone.

"Go wait inside the car, okay? Dad needs to talk for a while. It won't be long. Can you do it for me?"

"Un!" The boy nods and takes the phone and key from Aomine-kun's hand and runs toward a black sedan parked only ten steps away.

"Kids these days are easy to bribe..." He says it with a grin while leaning to the fence.

I chuckle a little, remembering it's his son. "It appears so."

"I don't look too old right?" Aomine-kun quickly feels his thin mustache and beard using his fingers.

It seems that he has just shaved about a week ago. The thin mustache surely does make him look much more... attractive, which actually goes along with his age and status as a husband and a father.

"Well you do look older, but if I have to be honest, you don't have to worry about your appearance too much."

"Heh." Aomine-kun snorts.

We are silent for a few seconds. No one seems to want to break the silence. Well I feel happy enough to see him. I don't really mind. Not long after, Aomine-kun decides to break the silence.

"I'm moving to Osaka today..."

I don't say anything. I'm surprised. It's so sudden and Aomine-kun didn't tell me anything about it before.

I won't be able to see him again...

"You know.. Job problems.." he continues.

"..Well, I guess there's no other choice.."

My chest feels so hollow. It feels cold and it's painful. I look down to the ground.

We've been through a lot since middle school.

Becoming friends.

Becoming enemies.

Becoming rivals.

Becoming a coach and his student.

Sharing the same apartment in college.

Seeing him getting married.

And now, things will be even more different than before.

And once again, there's nothing I can do about it.

"Well, as your friend.." I look back up to him again. "I can only pray for your.."

He's crying.

Tears flowing out of his eyes like a stream of melted ice.

I have never seen him this sad. Even the tears he shed back in Teiko were nothing like this.

It is hurting my heart to see him like this.

"Aomine-kun..."

"Tetsu.." He manages to call my name in between his sobs.

"Aomine-kun, please.."

"I loved you.."

"...!"

I can't bring myself to say anything.

I feel like I am choking.

The pain in my chest becomes even more unbearable.

To think that he would say it when he's having a wife and a child.

I find my cheek wet, once again.

"A-Aomine-kun..."

"Tetsu..."

"Aomine-kun, please stop.."

"So why..."

"Please..."

"Why did you have to leave so quickly..?!"

I freeze.

I can't see his face clearly anymore.

Everything's a blur.

But his sobs are still clear in my ears.

My lips are trembling and I walk closer to him and circle my arms around him.

"I love you too... I really do..."

"Tetsu...! Come back...! Please..."

"Aomine-kun..." My voice is turning weaker.

But no matter how loud I call for his name,

He will never hear my voice.

No matter how much I try to wipe his tears with my hands,

I will never be able to do it.

No matter how much I have loved him,

He will never know it.

And that fact is hurting me even more now that I know that we were meant to be together.

To love each other.

To be able to live together.

But there's nothing I can do anymore.

"I'm sorry for our last fight... I..I didn't mean to hurt you that way... so please... come back..!  
So we can hang out again and play basketball again like we used to..!  
I want you to pass me the ball one last time...!"

Aomine-kun then looks to his foot. Something bumped into it.

A basketball.

Aomine-kun then crouches and hugs the ball, biting his lip to hold back his cry.

I lean toward him and plant a small kiss on his forehead and give him a hug which can never warm him up in the cold winter. 

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Snowflakes slowly start to fall down from the sky.

He then steps into the car. The window is open and I can see him clearly from here.

He's sad. It's obvious, yet he's smiling.

And I am doing the same thing.

He holds out his arm through the window.

And I hold my arm out too.

"Until we meet again."

"..Until we meet again.."

"Let's go back to pick mom up, okay?"

"Un! Good bye, Tetsuuu!" The child is waving at me.

Aomine-kun and I both are looking at him in surprise.

But I smile at him and waves back.

"Take care of your dad for me."

"I will...!"

"Okay.. That's enough.. Let's go home, Kage."

"Haaaaai"

And with that, the car slowly disappears from my line of sight.

I walk back to see the gifts.

An untouched burger and a slice of cake which is in the same condition.

A magazine which pages that I can't even flip.

An incense which its flame already burnt out since an hour ago.

A bouquet of flowers.

A cup of frozen milkshake.

And an empty milkshake cup with a plastic red carnation and a winner stick inside with something written all in katakana on it.

I crouch and read what it says.

"Until we meet again."


End file.
